Your Health: The Coming Winter Weather & Depression

Hello & Welcome to My World!   Well, I started this post a couple of days ago when the weather was beautiful, but typical southeast Texas, all you have to do is blink and it changes so today is in the 50’s, cloudy. wet and nasty outside.  I hate cold weather as It makes me feel like a trapped animal but it was absolutely beautiful day yesterday and the day before as a cool front came through and it was in the mid 70’s and dry – no humidity! Rare and wonderful for Texas!   I won’t go on & on about weather since it’s already changed and I don’t want those of you with the bad stuff hating me 🙂 .  I can live with colder weather when the sun is shining. I need sunshine!

I found an article about the physical symptoms of depression that I found appropriate for the coming season – winter…

Physical Symptoms of Depression

There are your obvious signs of depression, like feelings of sadness,  hopelessness, and anxiety–but depression can also cause you unexplained physical symptoms as well.

Your physical pain & depression are closely related. Simply put, pain can be depressing, and depression causes and intensifies your pain. Some research shows that pain and depression share common pathways in your limbic (emotional) region of your brain. In fact, the same chemical messengers control your pain and your mood.

According to an article published by the Harvard Medical School, people with chronic pain have 3 times your average risk of developing psychiatric symptoms–usually mood or anxiety disorders–and depressed patients have 3 times the average risk of developing chronic pain.

Many people suffering from depression never get help because they don’t realize that their pain may be a symptom of depression. The importance of understanding your physical symptoms of depression is that treating depression can help with your pain–and treating pain can help with your depression.

Headaches

Headaches and migraine headaches are fairly common in people who suffer from depression.  If you already had migraine headaches, they may become

worse if you’re depressed. The relationship between your depression and your migraine headaches, which affect more than 10% of Americans, is especially close. One study found that over a two year period, a person with a history of major depression was three times more likely than average to have a first migraine attack, and a person with a history of migraine was five times more likely than average to have a first episode of depression.

Back pain

If you already suffer with back pain, it may get worse if you become depressed. A study from the University of Alberta followed a random sample of nearly 800 adults without neck and low back pain and found that people who suffer from depression are four times as likely to develop intense or disabling neck and low back pain than those who aren’t depressed. I believe this is true for me.

Muscle aches & joint pain

Depression can make any kind of chronic pain worse. According to research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, arthritis-like physical symptoms may improve if your depression is treated with medication.

Chest pain

It’s very important that if you have chest pain to get it checked out by an expert (doctor) right away. It can be a sign of your having serious heart problems, but chest pain is also associated with your depression. A study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, indicates several common factors among those affected by chest pain not linked to biomedical factors such as heart disease or some other illness–depression was one of the significant common factors.

Digestive problems

Queasiness, nausea, diarrhea & chronic constipation  can all stem from your depression. Studies show that up to 60% of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) also have a psychological disorder, most commonly they have depression or anxiety.  Many times your stress will settle in your stomach, causing issues like this. I know it does for me.

According to one study published in General Hospital Psychiatry, those who reported symptoms of nausea were more than three times as likely to also have an anxiety disorder, and nearly one and a half times more likely to suffer from depression. Depression is a possible cause for your digestive disorders, and should be investigated before aggressive treatments are begun.  If you are overly stressed or suffer from anxiety, it can also cause digestive issues.

Exhaustion & fatigue

No matter how much you sleep, do you still feel tired and exhausted? Fatigue and depression are not a surprising pair. Your depression and your fatigue feed off each other in a vicious cycle that makes it hard to know where one begins and the other ends.

Researchers have found people who are depressed are more than four times as likely to develop unexplained fatigue, and those of us who suffer from fatigue are nearly three times as likely to become depressed.  Do you see the proverbial viscous cycle here?

Sleep disturbances

People with depression often have difficulty falling asleep, or awaken in the early hours of morning and find themselves unable to get back to sleep. While around 15% of people suffering from depression sleep too much. Lack of sleep alone doesn’t cause depression, but it can contribute–and your lack of sleep caused by other illness or anxiety can make your depression worse.

Change in appetite or weight

Several studies have found excess weight to be linked with your depression symptoms, a history of depression, and other measures of psychological distress (e.g. anxiety). Earlier studies also suggest a stronger link in women compared to men. However, this may be changing. According to 2006 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, your depression-obesity link was found to be the same in both men and women. Others suffering from depression, experience a reduction in their appetite and because of this they lose weight.

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This is a good article with excellent information. So many physical symptoms related to your depression seem to be circular and symptoms feed off each other, thus making it difficult for you to determine the cause.

I’ve dealt with depression and still do sometimes.  I am affected with sleep issues (or lack of sleep), as well as digestive issues (which I control now with natural supplements) and my appetite decreases, but I am aware of these issues now. I tend to find that when I eat healthier, I can control it better.  In another post, I will talk about natural remedies like supplements, essential oils,etc. to help relieve your symptoms.

I hope this information helps you. Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think…

Well, had to get out of the house for a bit so I went to buy soup. A great comfort food to me in this weather…

If you feel like shopping & it’s just too nasty to go outside, please check out my website & see if there’s anything you like: http://www.bonanza.com/booths/allix999